Farmer’s Market offers a plateful of thankfulness

Published: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 at 10:13 PM.

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The farm raises one seasonal batch of 90 turkeys, from the second week of April to the week before Thanksgiving, and as of Saturday only seven were left. The farm raises and sells chickens and eggs year-round.

Joan Faulkner of La Grange ate her plate of samples and said the bread pudding was the tastiest.

“I come here to get the collards because they’re usually good and fresh,” said Doris Kinsey, who came from Jones County. She sampled the turkey and said she enjoyed it.

Ann Cherry of Kinston went to the market to purchase a turkey. She had just eaten lunch, so did not sample the demo meal. But she did pick up the recipes.

“Vivian always draws a huge crowd,” said Pat Jenkins, farmer’s market manager. “It just shows what you can do. She made something really delicious out of something really simple.

“It (the demo) gives a lot of people access to our vendors to buy fresh ingredients, and it’s a fun way to get the town together.”

Another version of stuffing made its debut Saturday as a new Thanksgiving side dish.

Turnip green, butternut squash and caramelized onion bread pudding was introduced by Vivian Howard, chef and owner of Chef and the Farmer, at a cooking demonstration held at the Lenoir County Farmer’s Market.

“Every Saturday before Thanksgiving we do some sides, made with things you can find at the Farmer’s Market, and we provide the recipes,” said Howard. “We want to get more people here at the market, because on this Saturday before Thanksgiving, we have a lot more produce vendors here.”

Howard made all the dishes herself — the bread pudding, a sweet potato dish and the roasted turkey. “We want to compliment what they’re (the farmers) doing and incorporate some of the fall greens. I came up with recipes by thinking of flavor combinations I wanted to incorporate.”

The onions, butternut squash and turnip greens in the bread pudding, plus the sweet potatoes for the candied yams dish are all for sale by local vendors.

The farm raises one seasonal batch of 90 turkeys, from the second week of April to the week before Thanksgiving, and as of Saturday only seven were left. The farm raises and sells chickens and eggs year-round.

Joan Faulkner of La Grange ate her plate of samples and said the bread pudding was the tastiest.

“I come here to get the collards because they’re usually good and fresh,” said Doris Kinsey, who came from Jones County. She sampled the turkey and said she enjoyed it.

Ann Cherry of Kinston went to the market to purchase a turkey. She had just eaten lunch, so did not sample the demo meal. But she did pick up the recipes.

“Vivian always draws a huge crowd,” said Pat Jenkins, farmer’s market manager. “It just shows what you can do. She made something really delicious out of something really simple.

“It (the demo) gives a lot of people access to our vendors to buy fresh ingredients, and it’s a fun way to get the town together.”

Nancy S. Saunders can be reached at 252-559-1079 or Nancy.Saunders@Kinston.com. Staff Writer Jessika Morgan contributed to this story.

Sage and Thyme Rubbed Turkey

1 12- to 15-pound turkey

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons rubbed sage

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon ground black peppercorns

Rub the whole turkey with olive oil. Combine the next six ingredients. Rub the turkey. Let it sit overnight, if possible, in the refrigerator.

Bring the turkey to room temperature for about an hour before roasting. Preheat the oven to 325F. Roast the bird until the thigh registers 165F. Start checking after about 2 1/2 hours. I baste my bird with butter every 30 minutes, but that’s optional.

Candied Yams with Ginger, Bacon and Citrus

For the Candy:

1 pound bacon, diced

1 red onion, minced

1/2 cup water

1 pound dark brown sugar

1 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons salt

1 lime, sliced super thin

1 orange, sliced super thin

1 lemon, sliced super thin

2 sticks cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch of chili flakes

4-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced super thin

1/2 cup cider vinegar

Cook bacon in a large sauté pan until crispy. Remove and reserve bacon. Add onion to sauté pan with the bacon fat. Sweat for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, maple syrup, water, salt, lime, lemon, orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili flakes and ginger. Bring to a brisk simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the citrus starts to turn clear. Add the vinegar. Simmer another 10 minutes. Return the bacon to the candy.

Roast sweet potatoes on 350F for about an hour or until they are just tender. Cool. Peel and slice into 2-inch rounds.

On the bottom of a casserole dish, dot butter and spoon a little candy mixture. Top with sweet potatoes in a scalloped fashion. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with salt and dot with butter. Spoon as much candy over as you would like. Refrigerate overnight.

To make one cup caramelized onions, peel and thinly slice 2 onions. I slice my onions with the grain so they cook down faster. Start the onions in a medium sauté pan with a little oil or butter. Season with salt and cook over low to medium heat about an hour.

Greens:

You can use turnip, hen peck or any relatively tender green. I do not believe collards will work here. In a large sauté pan, melt a little butter and add the greens whole. Season with salt and wilt briefly. Remove from the pan and try to press out as much liquid as you can. Give the leaves and stems a rough chop. You will need close to 2 cups cooked, so I would start with about 6 cups.

Cream:

Combine the cream, thyme and garlic in a small to medium saucepan. Bring up to a simmer, being careful it doesn’t boil over. Simmer on low about 15 minutes.

Assemble:

In a large bowl, combine the slightly cooled steeped cream (you do not have to remove the garlic, but do discard the thyme), the eggs, salt and pepper. Whisk.

In a larger bowl, combine the bread, onions, squash, greens, cheese and cream mix. Combine and spoon into a large buttered casserole dish. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes.

Farmer’s Market Hours

The Lenoir County Farmer’s Market will be open all day today, with produce and baked goods available, 100 Herritage St.